I recently purchased a 1943 Izhevsk Mosin Nagant Sniper with PU Scope. I researched them a bit online and to the best of my recently acquired knowledge appears to be legitimate with a few exceptions.

I am pretty confident the scope is one of the Ukrainian after-market scopes. The soviet symbol, half moon and serial number look precisely milled, not stamped. The screws are flat headed, not rounded. The scope mount is made of steel and is either original or a spot-on reproduction. It looks nearly new. I noticed there is no grinding on the mount feet.

All numbers are matching and appear original. All pieces have the Izhevsk markings on them.

My biggest concern that i can't seem to resolve is the barrel. From the information i've gathered online, all post 1942 Iz Sniper rifles had scope numbers stamped on the woodline to the left of the receiver. Mine does not. I am hoping there were exceptions to this rule. The bolt appears original, looks worn with the rest of the gun, and the bent bolt is not sharp like all the aftermarket ones. It is stamped matching the barrel.

The stock has a uniform finish including around the cut-away for the scope mount. ie. the mount doesn't look like it was a recent hacksaw addition.

In Summary:

Points against Authentic Sniper:
- No Scope Number Stamped on Receiver
- Scope and possibly mount is not original

I am not an expert on those scopes, but the M91/30 on the rifle is clearly electric pencilled and is not original. The scope looks new and the numbers appear to be pantographed, a marking method not commonly used in wartime production.

Further, why would the Russians put that marking on either the rifle or the scope; the scope could have been used on any rifle (with the proper mounts) and they knew very well what the rifle was.

I think the scope and probably the mounts are post-war, "repros" if you will. They may work very well, but I would be against them being of WWII vintage.

I suspect the bolt also is new made or newly altered, and was numbered and installed at the same time as the mounts and scope. Note that the number fonts do not match.

It looks like the bottom receiver and butt-plate have the same font at the bolt. They also appear to have been done by the same guy who can't manage to equally space his stamps.

Excuse the blurry butt photo. All of these have been taken from my cellphone camera.
There is a thin layer of black paint on the butt-plate. I found this same paint on the inside of the receiver near/over the scope mount bolts. It flaked off easily from the receiver during cleaning.

Is the lack of a scope number on the receiver pretty much a nail in the coffin?

I suppose if it is a pieced-together model i can be happy it appears to have been done 'well'

This email link is to reach site administrators for assistance, if you cannot access TFL via other means. If you are a TFL member and can access TFL, please do not use this link; instead, use the forums (like Questions, Suggestions, and Tech Support) or PM an appropriate mod or admin.

If you are experiencing difficulties posting in the Buy/Sell/Trade subforums of TFL, please read the "sticky" announcement threads at the top of the applicable subforum. If you still feel you are qualified to post in those subforums, please contact "Shane Tuttle" (the mod for that portion of TFL) via Private Message for assistance.

This email contact address is not an "Ask the Firearms Expert" service. Such emails will be ignored. If you have a firearm related question, please register and post it on the forums.